How to Get Rid of Muscle Knots
No matter what your lifestyle is or your daily activities, whether you sit in front of your computer screen for eight hours a day or lift weights for a living, you are susceptible to muscle pain at certain trigger points. The reason you experience pain is due to muscle knots. Muscle knots (myofascial trigger points) are caused by stress, anxiety, and the misuse of muscles. These knots will make it hard for you to work out or maintain flexibility. Here are a few things you can do to help reduce your muscle knots and pain.
Heat and Cold Therapy
This is the basic therapy which is often recommended to help you relieve an aching pain that is a result of joint and muscle damage. Basic heat therapy (thermotherapy) involves the use of heating pads, a hot water bottle, or a warm bath. Heat treatments promote blood flow and help the muscles relax.
On the other hand, cold therapy (cryotherapy) involves the use of frozen pad coolers, a cold water bottle or taking a bath with cool water. Cold therapy reduces inflammation.
Sometimes, simply choosing one over the other does not provide enough relief, which is where contrast therapy comes in. Contrast therapy is when you alternate the use of cold and heat therapy for pain relief and healing in the same session.
Exercise Therapy
Gentle exercises can prevent and possibly reverse stiffness in the muscles. So here are some exercises that you can try at home.
Tennis Ball
– Pin the tennis ball between the knot and a hard surface until the pain ceases.
– Take breaks as necessary.
– In the beginning, you may find that you can only hold it there for a few seconds.
– As you continue this exercise, that time will increase.
– You can use other types of balls, but firmer balls such as racquetballs may apply too much pressure, at least at first.
Tucks and Rolls
– Sit on the floor with your legs tucked into your chest.
– Hold on to your legs and roll back and forth to stretch the lower back.
Massage Therapy
Your massage therapist will find the knots in the area where you experience the pain. While all forms of massage are effective for loosening knots, your massage therapist can help you choose the right one for you. Massage therapy focuses on deep layers of muscles to deactivate the trigger points. Once the therapist works on the trigger points, the knots begin to loosen making your body more flexible.
Physiotherapy
Our therapists can teach you various strategies to reduce pain and help prevent it in the future. Physical therapy can assist you in managing pain and understanding the underlying body mechanisms that are causing muscle knots.
